Improvement in processes and apparatus for the manufacture of gas



2 Sheets -SheetL, G. W. HARRISkiL A. L. ALLEN. Process and Apparatus forthe Manufactul e of Gas.

' Patented June 17 1879.

N. PETERS. PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER. WASHINGTON, D C.

I 2sheets shee'b 2. G.W.-HARRIS & A. L. ALLEN, Process and Apparatus forthe'Manufacture ofGas.

No. 216,612. PatentedlJun e17,1879.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. HARRIS AND AUGUSTUS L. ALLEN, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN PROCESSES AND APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 216,612, dated June 17,1879 application liled August 20, 1878.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE W. HARRIS and AUGUSTUS L. ALLEN, of-1oughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Gas,which improvements are fully set forth in the following specificationand accompanying drawlugs.

This invention relates to certain improvements in the manufacture of gasfor heating and illuminating purposes, and apparatus therefor, and it isparticularly designed to be employed in connection with what is known asthe Allen-Harris or American hydrocarbon process of manufacturing gas,in which the gas is produced by the decomposition of water by means ofhighly-heated carbomaud afterward enriched by distilling with it richbituminous coals, petroleum, or other hydrocarbon, in order to securethe necessary illaminating properties, and at the same time to increaseits volume.

In the manufacture of gas by the decomposition of water, it is essentialto maintain the decomposingretorts at an intense heat. To effect this itis absolutely necessary that a large quantity of oxygen should besupplied to and caused to pass through the fuel. This has heretoforebeen accomplished by giving the products of combustion from the furnacea direct passage to the chimney tocreate'the necessary draft. When theintensely-heated products of combustion, however, are thus allowed todirectly escape, it is evident that great waste of available heatoccurs, entailing useless expense in the manufacture of the gas, whichit is the object of our present invention to obviate by utilizing thewaste heat to generate the steam in a suitable boiler for subsequentdecomposition.

It has been found in practice, however, that if a boiler or generator isinterposed between the exit-fines of the furnace and the chimney itforms such an obstruction to the draft that the proper intensity of heatcannot be obtained in the furnace.

We have discovered that, by the use of anthracite coal or othernon-bituminous fuel,

and a forced blast of air through the same, the proper intensity of heatfor the decomposition of the water may be maintained in thedecomposing-retorts, while at the same time the waste heat may beutilized for generating the steam for subsequent decomposition for themanufacture of the gas; and to this end our invention consists, first,in an improved method of heating gas-retorts, and utilizing thewaste-heat of the furnace by charging the fire-box of the furnace withanthracite coal or other non-bituminous fuel, urging the combustionbyaforced air-blast through the fuel, and conducting the waste productsof combustion through lines, so as to heat a steam boiler or generator,whereby the steam for subsequent decomposition is generated, as morefully hereinafter specified, second, in the combination, with thefurnace, of a bench of retorts, consisting of one or morehydrogen-retorts and one or more hydrocarbon or oil retorts, of anair-blast pipe leading into the furnace below the fire-box, and a boilerlocated above the retorts and heated by the waste heat of the furnace,as more fully hereinafter specified.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a front View of a series offurnaces and benches and a boiler located above the same with portionsof the walls of the furnace cut away, showing the boiler and fluesaround the same in longitudinal section. Fig. 2 represents a viewlooking down upon the boiler, the upper part of the furnace beingremoved in order to show the flues around the boiler; and Fig. 3represents a longitudinal section of the boiler and the upper part ofthe furnaces.

The letter A represents a series of retorts arranged in benches abovethe furnace B. At the front of the benches, preferably below the floorof the retort-house, extends a pipe or main, 0, which is connected withan air-forcin g apparatus of any suitable description. From the pipe 0extend a series of branch pipes, D, entering the ash-pits of therespective V furnaces, as shown at E, or a chamber, E, extending around,or partially around, the ashpit, and communicating with the same,whereby the air will be warmed before escaping into the ash-pit, themouth of which may be closed by a suitable door when the furnace is inoperation.

The benches of retorts are arranged above their respective furnaces, andare connected with each other in the manner usually practiced incarrying out the Allen-Harris process of manufacturing gas, the retortsat the sides of each bench forming what are technically known as thehydrogen-retorts, and the intermediate retorts the hydrocarbon or oilretorts. of the benches, and, as this arrangement of ret'orts is commonand well known, no further description of the same is here deemednecessary.

The letter F represents a steam-boiler, which may be of any suitabledescription, an ordinary horizontal tubular boiler being illustrated inthe present instance. Said boiler'is located above the fire-chamber ofthe furnace or furnaces, in the path of the escaping products ofcombustion.

In the present case it is represented as located in a flue, G, extendingacross the upper part of the furnaces B B B above the retorts. At oneside of said flue G, and running paral lel with it, is a flue, H,communicating with said flue G by means of an opening or passage, I.Said flue G, at the end opposite the passage I, opens into a-shortvertical flue, K, which connects with the tubes I of the boiler, thesaid tubes leading into an escape flue or chimney, M, through a passageor flue, N.

The flue H also leads into the escape flue or chimney M through anopening or passage, I.

The letter 0 represents a damper, adapted to be shifted by means of adamper-rod, 0, so

as to fall opposite the passage I or the passage I, as may be desired,in order to pass the products of combustion into the flue G when it isdesired to heat the boiler, or directly into the chimney in order tostart the fires in the furnaces, or cut off the heat from said boiler.

From the respective furnaces or combustionchambers of the same extend aseries of vertical or uptake flues, R R, which terminate in the flue H,for the purpose of conducting the products of combustion from thefurnaces to said flue H, and from thence to the lines under and throughthe boiler.

The operation of our invention is as follows: The furnaces, retorts, andboiler being properly charged and the fuel in the furnaces fired, theair-blast is turned on, so as to force a current of air up through theburning fuel. This causes an active combustion, resultingin an intenseheat around the retorts. Owing to the intensity of the heat thusproduced, the

escaping products of combustion are highly heated, which heatis absorbedand utilized by the water in the boiler or steam-generator, generatingthe steam for subsequent decomposition.

I claim- 1. The method herein-described for heating gas-retorts, andutilizing the waste heat of the furnace by chargin the fire-box of thesame with anthracite coal or other non-bituminous fuel, urging thecombustion by a forced airblast through the fuel, and conducting thewaste products of combustion through flues for heating a steam boiler orgenerator, all substantially as herein set forth.

2. In combination with the furnace of a bench of retorts, thehydrogen-retorts and hydrocarbon retort or retorts, a dry air-blast pipeleadinginto the furnace below the fire-box, and a boiler located on topof the furnace for supplying steam to the hydrogen-retorts, and heatedby the Waste heat of the furnace, substantially as herein specified.

GEO. WV. HARRIS, AUGUSTUS L. ALLEN. Witnesses:

H. P. ALLEN, AUG. H. ALLEN.

